Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries successfully launched its H-IIA rocket carrying the national space agency's moon lander on Thursday, after unfavorable weather led to three postponements in a week last month.

Japan aims to become the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the lunar surface with the launch of a low-cost "moon sniper" that will test precision landing technology designed to further Tokyo’s space goals.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) craft — dubbed "moon sniper" by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) — is set to touch down on the near side of the moon close to Mare Nectaris, a lunar basin that is one of the visible dark spots on the moon.

The launch comes weeks after India became the first country to land on the moon's south pole, sparking an outpouring of national pride and highlighting a new space race that features the private sector.

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